We met Ian through his wife Sophia. Sophia and I work as real estate agents together and hit it off from the start. Luckily for us, our husbands also get along well, and we always enjoy lots of laughs when we get together.

Let's start right off by defining what this article is not. This is not an article for seasoned travelers. If you already know what you're doing and have no worries when it comes to travel, you do not need this article. This is also not an article for people who have no desire to travel. Some people are homebodies, and that's totally cool. If you are content at home with all your creature comforts, this article is not aimed at you. And this is not an article for those who love to travel but are simply limited by budget or time constraints.

However, if you are a beginner traveler, and you want to travel but feel overwhelmed when you even start thinking about maybe trying to plan a family vacation, this is for you. You are not alone. Others feel the same worry and even dread when it comes to planning and executing a family trip. But this post is full of tips to help you set yourself up for vacation success.

Flying with a toddler in general is not the simplest task. Flying by yourself with a toddler takes the difficulty level up a notch. But there are ways to make this undertaking a bit more bearable.

Before we can talk about how to plan a staycation, the first question we have to answer is "What is a staycation?" In its broadest definition, a staycation is a trip in which you don't leave your home country. A slightly narrower version defines a staycation as a vacation in which you don't leave your state, province, or county. But in its narrowest, and I think most accurate definition, a staycation is a vacation in which you stay in your hometown (or close to it).